Where do you begin…
So, you have set the date, and chosen your venue now you need to consider if your date is during the school holidays especially the Summer holiday, you will need to think about letting the guests know the date you have chosen.
Save The Dates
These can be a simple tag with your wedding date or something a little more elaborate, they could be very plain or match your theme, whatever you decide they will be the first glimpse of your wedding.
These can be sent out anytime but I would recommend at least 12 months in advance for a ‘peak’ holiday time wedding, if you are getting married abroad you may want to give your guest a couple of years to save up.
It is also a nice idea to send special invites at this time to your bridal party especially flower girls and page boys, who will be super excited.
Invitations
Your invitations really are the first glimpse of your special day and as such they should reflect your wedding, do you love glitter and bling these can be incorporated into your invitation. Do you have an accent colour or two these can be included too. Are you having a more rustic theme, or a very particular theme, these ideas can all be used in the choice of invites. These should be sent out between 3 and 6 months before your Wedding.
Those items for the actual Wedding Day – ‘On the day’ Stationery
There are quite a few items that may be needed for the actual day, those that you may want will depend on the type of wedding you are having.
The Table Plan
The table plan will guide your guests to the tables that they will sit at for your wedding breakfast. Table plans come in many different forms. They can be framed or unframed, the unframed are often created on a covered canvas for additional stability, or they can be on mirrors. As with your invitations they will usually reflect your theme using the same colours and embellishments.
Order of Service
Traditionally used in Church Weddings, they can contain various information and allow your guests to where the service is up to and easily join in with hymns and songs during the service as well as introducing anyone who may be taking part in the service with readings etc.
With more and more weddings being Venue based the traditional Order of Service is often being replaced with an Order of the Day to keep guests informed of the running order, these can also include other information such as the Menu.
Place Cards
Your table plan is going to direct your guests to the correct table, when they find their table they need to know where to sit at the table. This is also useful for the reception staff to identify those with dietary requirements.
Table Numbers or Names
These can be free standing or be held in holders to raise them. These can match your theme and even add a little more of an insight into the lives of the Happy Couple, places you have travelled to or local places of importance, favourite films, or bars of chocolate to name just a few.
Wedding Signs
Signs are needed for all sorts of things and are really useful at weddings, asking guests not to put photo’s on social media, or where to seat for the ceremony. You may be providing slippers or toiletries in the bathrooms at your venue, let your guests know they are there for them to use. How about a sign for your guest book or wish tree? These can be free standing or put into frames.
Thank You
Finally we always need to say thank you, to your guests and also possibly to relatives or friend who mean a lot to you or have played a big part in your wedding.
Well that’s just about covers most things that you may need in the way of stationery, but it doesn’t end the story, Menus for the tables, confetti packets with little poems, I could go on and on but I think that will do for today, more about these things later.
Just a little plea from a wedding stationer, we create from scratch, we cut the card and tie ribbon we get covered in glitter we love what we do, but we need time to do it, and it may take longer than you think so please don’t leave your stationery until the last minute xx